ASK IRA: Joe Johnson, Andre Miller or Tony Wroten for Heat?

Q: Andre Miller is a great name, but I don't think he has much to offer. We get overexcited over names of players who were once good. -- Tony.

A: I agree that in today's 3-point NBA, the preference should be for a player who has distant range. For all of Miller's old-man-game skills, scoring from beyond the arc is not one of them. Beyond that, Miller often likes to play an undersized post-up game, an approach that is similar to what the Heat now get from Dwyane Wade. That's what makes Joe Johnson so attractive. He can be the wing the Heat need amid the ongoing struggles of Gerald Green, and also hit outside shots. While a ballhandler beyond Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson certainly is a concern (and while Miller has long been an exceptional playmaker), by adding an additional wing it could free up Wade to play on the ball more often. In fact, if you're asking whether the Heat need a wing or a point, at this point I'm not sure that someone like a Jordan Crawford or Tony Wroten wouldn't be more valuable. The real question is whether the Heat are going to remain insistent on waiting two more weeks for any signing, in order to assure themselves of staying under the luxury tax. And if that is the approach, it will be interesting to see if players would be willing to wait.

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Q: I am going to have to change my opinion on what and illegal screen looks like. -- Richard.

A: To its credit, at least the NBA put out the video of Draymond Green's screen on Luol Deng that set up Stephen Curry's decisive 3-pointer at the end of Wednesday's game. And the league at least offered their opinion on why it was not considered an illegal pick. Fans ask for transparency and the NBA provides it, even if it doesn't always provide the type of closure that fans seek. All of that said, after viewing the clip the league offered (which you can find on my Twitter account), it is difficult that such a screen falls within legal guidelines. At best, the NBA could see there was not clear video evidence to overturn, had a challenge system been in place. You can bet that if he could, Erik Spoelstra would have thrown the red flag on that one.

Q: Ira, why is Hassan Whiteside so underutilized, especially on a team that is missing its star and desperately needs points, rebounds and blocks? -- Greg, Miami.

A: I agree that the role off the bench was a bit extreme, especially after it was clear that Hassan was fully back from his injury. My sense is that he again will be a starter going forward, with it curious to now see how much Amar'e Stoudemire plays, considering the team's fascination with Josh McRoberts.